De Unie

Like a giant abstract painting squeezed in between two old 19th-Century houses, De Unie is one of the most intriguing pieces of architecture in Holland. Standing out from a distance with its De Stijl colors, one cannot help but stop and smile at its quirkiness.

A true icon of “De Stijl”

Reminiscent of Mondrian's paintings, the building is swatched in red, blue and white with signature vertical and horizontal lines. Along with Mondrian's compositions and Rietveld's classic chair, De Unie is one of the most important icons of the De Stijl movement.

Built, bombed and rebuilt

De Unie was originally built in 1925 by Dutch architect Jacobus Johannes Pieter Oud (J.J.P. Oud), a prominent member of De Stijl. De Unie was intended to be a temporary building to "fill in" a space between two buildings. It stood at the Coolsingel but was destroyed during the bombing of Rotterdam in World War 2. In 1986, the facade was rebuilt and reproduced by architect Carel Weeber at the Mauritsweg, where De Unie stands now.

Chair O7B

The interiors were designed by Peter Hopman of Bureau Lakenvelder, who took the initiative to produce a chair designed by J.J.P. Oud in 1934. "Chair O7b" was never produced before. With the permission of Oud's heirs, Hopman developed 52 limited edition chairs as part of De Unie's café-restaurant.

Get inspired by the cultural aspects!

Aside from being an architectural gem in itself, De Unie is also a podium for debate, art and culture. It has a café-restaurant, a hall and a theater with a diverse cultural program.

Come and experience a unique, standing piece of the De Stijl movement and let your neoplastic dreams come to life at De Unie!

Travel information

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